If you have a Saskatchewan Roughrider fan on your Christmas list a new book from Regina journalist Rob Vanstone might be just perfect stocking stuffer.
The book; 100 Things Roughrider Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, is due to hit shelves this week.
Vanstone said the book was one the publisher came to him to do.
鈥淭he publisher, Triumph Books (from Chicago), approached me in 2018. They鈥檝e done numerous听鈥�100 Things听鈥︹�� books on various sports teams in North America (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB),鈥� he said.
鈥淭hey wanted to do a CFL book and decided to begin with听the Roughriders, considering their history and their following.
鈥淪omeone (perhaps my mother) recommended me to them and, when they contacted me, it was an easy sell.鈥�
Writing about the Roughriders is not new for Vanstone.
As a long-time journalist with the Leader-Post in Regina, Vanstone has covered the team for years, although he didn鈥檛 start on the 鈥楻ider beat.
鈥淚鈥檝e spent my entire full-time working career at the Leader-Post.听I听was hired full-time in 1987, during my second consecutive summer job in the L-P鈥檚 sports department,鈥� he related. 鈥淭hat summer job has lasted for 30-plus years.听
鈥淚听covered junior hockey, primarily, from 1987 to 1996.听
鈥淚听was named the sports columnist in 1996, at which point听I听began writing about the Roughriders, and added the title of sports editor in 2001.鈥�
The role has stuck.
鈥淪ince then,听I听haven鈥檛 added any titles, just chins,鈥� he joked.
And that long time relationship with the Roughriders has led to writing books related to the team.
鈥淚 am now at 3.2 books,鈥� said Vanstone.听
He has written books on the Grey Cup championship teams of 1966 (鈥榃est Riders Best鈥�) and 1989 (鈥楾he Greatest Grey Cup Ever鈥�) and also contributed to a 100th-anniversary history book.
The latest book was one Vanstone said he saw value in writing.
鈥淚听find the Roughriders鈥� rich, eventful history to be so compelling,鈥� he said.听鈥淚 traced quite a bit of it in the two earlier books. The 1966 book, for example,听has a wingspan that extends from 1951 to 2008.
鈥淭he 1989 book starts in 1976, with听the Tony Gabriel catch.鈥�
This latest effort opened the door to the club鈥檚 entire history.
鈥淚 welcomed the opportunity to immerse myself in 100-plus years of the team鈥檚 history, dating back to its inception in 1910 as the Regina Rugby Club, and to learn more about the team over the course of my research,鈥� said Vanstone.听
鈥淚鈥檝e spent most of my life as an ardent follower of the Roughriders, (he was born, raised and lived all but a few months in Regina), and the opportunity to tackle this project was irresistible.听
鈥淚 said听鈥測es鈥� within 10 minutes, and the response would have been even quicker if听I didn鈥檛 ensure that the book received the blessing of my wife, Chryssoula.
鈥淚t was a lot of work, consuming countless hours, but听I found it appealing 鈥� even addictive 鈥� because it was also a lot of fun.鈥�
It helped Vanstone was given pretty much free rein in regards to content.
鈥淭he publisher gave me carte blanche to听choose the topics, so how听could听I possibly say no?鈥� he asked.
鈥淚 was blessed to be able to craft a Roughriders history book, in a unique form, as听I wished. That was an absolute joy.
鈥淲ithin hours of completing the short-lived negotiation process,听I had already made a list of 150-some topics.听
鈥淚 ultimately whittled it down to 100, with 20 sidebars, and was allowed to have all sorts of fun along the way.听
鈥淚 was able to celebrate great moments, explain some of the challenges the franchise has faced, and wallow in as much trivia as听I wanted. It was a dream, to be honest. There was a set format, but all sorts of latitude, and any writer would welcome and embrace that.鈥�
With so much history to cover the research could have bogged down, but Vanstone said that never seemed to be the case.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 a protracted process,鈥� he said.听鈥淚 began interviewing/writing in the spring of 2018. The manuscript was due, and submitted, Feb. 1.
鈥淭here听were a few curveballs due to unanticipated events. The Chris Jones chapter, for example, had to be revised when he abruptly left for the Cleveland Browns in January.
鈥淪hortly thereafter, chapters on head coach Craig Dickenson and general manager Jeremy O鈥橠ay were born.
鈥淛ust when听I thought听I had everything locked down, the Riders signed Jon Ryan in the spring, so the publisher was kind enough to accommodate that very late addition.鈥�
It helped the book was somewhat freeform in in nature.
鈥淏ecause the story wasn鈥檛 being told chronologically, nor was it linear, there were so many entry points,鈥� said Vanstone. 鈥淲hen writing about players,听I tried to make the chapter number correspond with听the uniform number. The chapter on Ray Elgaard was one of the first听I wrote听鈥� and that was Chapter 81!鈥�
And, Vanstone went into the process with a plan.
鈥淓arly on,听I set a goal of writing at least a chapter per day, in addition to doing about 40 original interviews for the book,鈥� he said.听鈥淚 was also able to use the research听I had done for earlier Riders books, and information听I had compiled over 20-plus years of writing about the team.
鈥淗aving written about the team as much as听I have,听I pretty much knew where to find what听I needed, and that was beneficial.鈥�
So the book flowed along about as well as could be expected.
鈥淚鈥檇 never refer to writing as听鈥渆asy,鈥� but projects of this description and dimension are听always a labour of love,鈥� said Vanstone. 鈥淥n many a day,听I鈥檇 plunk myself听on a comfy couch at a coffee emporium, put on my headphones, listen to some jazz (Oscar Peterson!), and dive into a writing session.
鈥淏efore听I knew it, two or three hours听鈥� and two or three iced cappuccinos听鈥斕齱ere gone.
鈥淭hen, one night, it hit me:听鈥淚鈥檓 almost done!鈥� Then Chris Jones resigned and, well听鈥︹��
But, for a long-time 鈥楻ider follower were there surprises found in doing the research?
鈥淚听was surprised by how much听I听did not know about the early years,鈥� offered Vanstone.听鈥淚听had heard and read so many stories about the Roughriders鈥櫶齠ormation, but had settled into a comfort zone that pretty much encompassed anything beyond Glenn Dobbs鈥櫶齛rrival in 1951.
鈥淏eing able to rewind to 1910 was very rewarding and illuminating.
鈥淔or example, the Roughriders鈥櫶齩riginal home was Dominion Park, near the intersection of Broad Street and Seventh Avenue.听There听are monuments alongside the sidewalk on Broad Street, paying tribute to the team and its original locale.
鈥淗ow many times had听I听driven down Broad Street without noticing the monuments? How many times had听I听visited Value Village without听the听site鈥檚 historical significance occurring to me?
鈥淎nd, as much as听I听had read about the early years, it never really sunk in that the first game was not听played in Regina, but instead in Moose Jaw against the Tigers.鈥�
In the end, Vanstone said there was really more history to tell than 100 things allowed, creating the greatest challenge to the project.
鈥淭he most challenging aspect was trying to keep the list to 100 鈥� OK, 120, with sidebars incorporated,鈥� he said.听鈥淭he list of possible topics is infinite.听I would have said the same thing if the list had consisted of 200 or 300.
鈥淥nce听I settled on the final list, with some late revisions, it was a race against time to get it done, simply because听I didn鈥檛 want to neglect what听I have to do each day at the Leader-Post.听I wanted to do my employer justice while ensuring that the book become something of which听I was proud. That is why听I sought my wife鈥檚 approval!听She joined me at many a coffee house, believe me.鈥�
In the end, which of the 100 stick as most interesting in the mind of the writer?
鈥淚听loved the material from the early years, because so much of it was eye-opening,鈥� said Vanstone.听鈥淚t was a new area of study for me and听I couldn鈥檛 get enough听of it.
鈥淚t even provided the impetus for an historical video we did at the Leader-Post.听I did a Riders history tour in听which we visited the Dominion Park site, and the site of the first game in Moose Jaw. That game was played near where the Moose Jaw Public Library is now located.
鈥淥nce听I dove into the early听years,听I was hooked.听I hope that translates into some readable chapters about the events of that era.鈥�
听As for a book highlight, Vanstone was quick to joke.
鈥淭he fact that my picture isn鈥檛 in it. That should help with sales!听鈥�,鈥� he quipped.
Then turning back to seriousness, Vanstone said finding the fitting finale for the book was difficult.
鈥淚 had a tough time deciding what to do with Chapter 100,鈥� he said.听鈥淚 needed an exclamation point at the end听鈥� but what?
鈥淭hen it hit me: How about picking the best player to wear all 100 numbers, from 00 to 99.听
鈥淚 had so much fun doing that list, and revising it, and revising it some more. Some of them were easy, because Nos. 23, 34, etc., were obvious, and some of them required some research (No. 46) and contemplation.听
鈥淚 had never tried anything听like that before and听I听really enjoyed it.鈥�
Like most writers Vanstone said he is never completely satisfied with what he creates, but there is satisfaction with 鈥�100 Things ...鈥�
鈥淎s a writer, and someone who is intensely self-critical,听I鈥檒l never say听that听I鈥檓 satisfied with anything,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut听I will say that听I am very pleased with it.听
鈥淚 wish that time had allowed for the inclusion of a Cody Fajardo chapter, for example, but deadlines did not make that possible.
鈥淪ince the book was published,听I鈥檝e asked myself a few times:听鈥楧id听I miss anything?鈥�
鈥淪o far,听I haven鈥檛 had that forehead-slapping moment when it occurs to me that there is a major omission. Anything that听I felt was important, over more than 100 years, was included.鈥�
It helped the publisher was easy to work with.
鈥淲orking with Triumph Books was an absolute joy,鈥� said Vanstone.听鈥淚 could not be happier about the collaboration and听I hope that the finished product is what the publisher wanted and deserves.鈥�
Now he hopes that the diehard fans like the book too.
鈥淩oughriders fans, given their passion for the team, also deserve an all-encompassing look at the team to be something that is accurate and of considerable interest,鈥� said Vanstone.听鈥淚 hope that听I have done them justice as well.
鈥淎nd now, having reflected upon this,听I really feel like an iced cappuccino!鈥�
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